Lessons and life

I teach. I went into teaching aged 35, so not a wide-eyed innocent by any means. I already had kids of my own, in fact the youngest was already 9 at this stage , the eldest was 13. I fixed many a stroppy youth with a steely eye and pointed out that my son was older than him, and I’d seen it all before…

I think that going into teaching later was a very good move, it gave me a lot more personal experience of learning and struggling [OMG university in your 30s, with young kids and an unsupportive husband…don’t get me started], and this informed my work. If I’d gone into it in my early 20s, I don’t think I’d have survived.

Most people going into teaching these days leave within five years, 40% leave within one year. The stresses are well documented elsewhere, and that’s not what this post is about… This week, all the college staff were called into a meeting to receive a prepared statement about costs, demographics, blah blah you get the picture. Many jobs are to go. I’m not even off probation yet, so this is all rather disconcerting. I’m not actually [too] worried about my post, but everyone is now pretty unsettled to say the least.

There were four of us in our little office after the meeting, and after we’d all cursed and moaned for a bit, then reassured each other a bit, it actually turned into quite a good afternoon.

I really couldn’t be bothered to faff about ‘planning’ for tomorrow’s lessons [already done anyway] or wasting time on admin tasks, so instead, I taught our trainee how to make origami jumping frogs. And we played. While playing, I chatted to her about all the ways I’ve used these frogs in lessons, to teach statistics, technology, and aspects of engineering and mechanics. And it was fun.

I’m unlikely to use these lesson ideas in the near future [been there, done that] but she might. Possibly for years to come. So I feel that I’ve done something much more productive than more paperwork, updating folders of ‘evidence’, photocopying practice materials and so on.

More and more, teachers don’t get time to socialise with one another, to chat, or to play. We need to be able to compare notes, and share the horror stories of everyday classroom life so that those new teachers can see that it’s not their fault, and that we all get the same problems. We need to be able to let off steam, swear about the little fuckers, cry on shoulders, buckle our swashes, and get back in there.

We need to be able to be people, because our skills are the human ones, and those skills are what make us bloody good teachers.

10 thoughts on “Lessons and life”

Well I’ve heard of fig roll but not frog roll – is it like toad in the roll? I sympathise! We all need times to play a bit at work and we get on much better with each other when we have that space. Bad news about jobs going. I’m sure you won’t be at risk- maths teachers are like gold dust. Even so, it’s very bad for morale and very unsettling all round.

Maths teachers are like gold dust indeed, but when they delay giving you the push until there aren’t any vacancies being advertised other than the cruddy schools…sigh. I was in that leaky boat at this time last year, so it’s not very nice. Ah well. Onward and upward!

Gosh, that’s not so good about the job situation, I really hope it works out well for you.
As for teaching our son was a teacher, a teacher who enjoyed his work, the boys (all boys) respected him and his need for them to arrive in class with tie properly done up and the shirt tucked into the trousers and the shoes polished….one mother said it was the making of her son….however, sadly, it was a demonic Head and his cohorts who were responsible for 5 years of depression and quitting teaching….he now is an IT Consultant (he Mastered in this) , self employed, and a free lance photographer using his camera skills to make web sites……and he’s more content than ever he was but still on medication….possibly always will be.
Imagine, a post without sewing – wow!!!

Nobody to play with here, working home alone:-(. Great admiration for all you teachers out there who make learning fun, but I have never regretted giving up teacher training college after 6 months. Not for me at all! Seems I’m a much better doer than a teacher. 🙂

Oh god I don’t bother making learning fun. The fun comes in getting the ruddy qualification and being free of maths…for most ordinary people! I love teaching A level, and adult eductaion classes are fun, (apart from the tears) but I have little patience these days teaching much below that level. That’s why I’m happier in college than I was in schools I suppose.